Nationality: RussiaExecutive summary: Developed solar cells for the Sputnik program

Russian physicist Zhores I. Alferov conducted breakthrough research into III-V semiconductor heterostructures, including detailed studies of epitaxy processes, injection properties, lasers, LEDís, and solar cells. His work provided the basis for the optical semiconductors and the solar cells that made the Soviet Union's Sputnik program possible, earning Alferov the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2000, shared with Herbert Kroemer and Jack S. Kilby.